Please, please, please drink "enough" water. Your body when pregnant is like an aquarium trying to filter the water and keep it clean. Your liver and kidneys are working extra hard when pregnant to filter and eliminate the toxins and impurities that build up in your system. Additionally, you are filtering, cleansing and replacing the amniotic fluid as dead skin cells and other impurities accumulate. An absolute minimum of two liters a day of pure water is necessary for a healthy pregnancy. I recommend my clients get a 2 liter water bottle and fill it in the moring, empty it by noon, refill it and empty it again by nighttime. This is much easier than trying to keep track of 8-10 8 oz glasses per day.
I used to think of myself as someone who drank a lot of water. But when I started measuring it after learning I was pregnant it turned out I had usually fallen far short of 2 liters a day. Now that I am drinking much more water I have been surprised and delighted that my occasional asthma has gone away and symptoms of food allergies have lessened to almost nothing. And it's nice to think of being a healthy aquarium.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Elizabeth, for sharing your experience. I love the analogy of a healthy aquarium. I also welcome others to share their experiences in the hope it will inspire another.
ReplyDeleteAlso, a reminder to new nursing mommas - with the holiday season upon us please beware sage and parsley as they may dry up your milk supply.
Many blessings from The Heart of Midwifery!